flunk

English

Etymology

Alteration of funk, or perhaps a blend of flinch and funk.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /flʌŋk/
• Rhymes: -ʌŋk

Verb

flunk (third-person singular simple present flunks, present participle flunking, simple past and past participle flunked)

1. (US, transitive, intransitive) Of a student, to fail a class; to not pass.

   He flunked math, again.

2. (US, transitive) Of a teacher, to deny a student a passing grade.

   Unsatisfied with Fred's progress, the teacher flunked him.

3. (US, dated, informal) To shirk (a task or duty).
4. To back out through fear.

Translations

to fail

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 失敗 (cmn), 失败 (cmn) (shībài)

• Dutch: buizen (voor), zakken (nl)
• Finnish: reputtaa (fi), saada reput (fi), pompata (fi)
• French: louper (fr)
• German: durchfallen (de)
• Italian: bocciare (it), trombare (it)
• Japanese: 失敗する (ja) (しっぱいする, shippai-surú)

• Polish: oblać
• Portuguese: reprovar (pt)
• Russian: провалиться (ru) (provalít'sja) pf. (intransitive only), завалить (ru) (zavalít') pf. (transitive: math, etc.)
• Spanish: aplazar (South America), reprobar (specially Central America, Mexico), suspender (Spain) ; (colloquial) catear (Spain), raspar (Venezuela), sacar nota roja (Costa Rica), tronar (Mexico)
• Swedish: kugga (sv), köra (sv)

to deny a passing grade

• Italian: segare (it)
• Polish: oblać (pl)
• Portuguese: reprovar (pt)
• Russian: валить (ru) (valít') impf., провалить (ru) (provalít') pf., завалить (ru) (zavalít') pf.

• Spanish: aplazar (South America), reprobar (specially Central America, Mexico), suspender (Spain) ; (colloquial) bochar (Argentina), catear (Spain), jalar (Peru), rajar (Chile, Colombia), raspar (Venezuela), poner nota roja (Costa Rica), tronar (Mexico)

See also

• flunk out